Mereth Aderthad Interview: Interview with Paul D. Deane by Himring
Before the Norman Invasion brought rhymed poetry with it, English poetry was alliterative, and this early poetic form held deep appeal for Tolkien. Himring spoke to Paul D. Deane about his upcoming Mereth Aderthad paper "Love, Grief, and Alliterative Verse in Tolkien’s Legendarium" and his work with alliterative verse, Tolkien, and alliterative verse about Tolkien.
SWG News
New Challenge: Musicals
Prompts this month come from musicals.
So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Putting Together the Presentation
The video and materials from our latest session of "So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference?" are now available. This session covers crafting a paper intended for presentation and designing helpful, accessible visuals to accompany your talk.
Archive Software Upgrade and Downtime Postponed
The major software update on the archive has been postponed; we will announce when a new date has been set.
New & Updated Fanworks
[Writing] Let Him Find Honey by StarSpray
Grief awaits you outside these halls, Fëanáro, Nienna told him, her voice like the gentlest fall of rain upon spring leaves.
Grief haunts me inside them, Fëanor replied.
[Writing] High in the Clean Blue Air by StarSpray
They passed out of Lhûn and the wider coastline of Middle-earth opened up before his eyes. He had wandered those shores for centuries, and even now he felt the pull of that same wanderlust, and knew he would miss them for the rest of his life. Their wildness, the untamed waves, the rocky…
[Series] I made loving you a blood sport by atlantablack
In which Fëanor & Fingolfin are re-embodied in 4th age Aman, are nowhere near as healed as everyone believes them to be, and decide to pretend that sleeping together will fix their relationship instead of causing more problems.
[Writing] a hunger still unraveling like silk by atlantablack
Fingolfin does not look up from his book when he hears footsteps approaching and pays no attention to Fëanor walking into the room. What he emphatically does pay attention to is Fëanor going to his knees in front of the chair he is sprawled sideways…
[Writing] A Songbird in a Cage of His Own Making by Elrond's Library
Uinen and Ossë have lost track of the Noldor's Songbird, his laments gone silent. When they do, Uinen nurses him back to health, and then some.
[Writing] The Writhen Pool by pandemonium_213
When the Istyari of Second Age Ost-in-Edhil deny her a place in an important new initiative to be taken up by the Gwaith-i-Mírdain, a young master smith struggles to make her mark in the man's realm of the forges. An opportunity arrives when the smith is offered a commission that will present…
[Reference] Interview with Paul D. Deane by Himring by Rhunedhel
Himring spoke to Paul about his upcoming Mereth Aderthad presentation "Love, Grief, and Alliterative Verse in Tolkien’s Legendarium," his deep study of alliterative verse, and how that entwines with his understanding of Tolkien and creation of his own Tolkien-based alliterative poems.
Current Challenge
Musicals
Craft a fanwork inspired by songs from musicals. Read more ...
Random Challenge
Forbidden Lore
Create a fanwork about knowledge that is considered forbidden or taboo. Read more ...
New in References
Interview with Paul D. Deane by Himring by Rhunedhel
Himring spoke to Paul about his upcoming Mereth Aderthad presentation "Love, Grief, and Alliterative Verse in Tolkien’s Legendarium," his deep study of alliterative verse, and how that entwines with his understanding of Tolkien and creation of his own Tolkien-based alliterative poems.
So You Want to Present at a Tolkien Conference? Putting Together the Presentation by SWG Newsletter Staff
Video and materials from our session on how to put together a paper and presentation for a Tolkien conference. The session covers how to structure a paper for a presentation, assembling a presentation to support your paper, and accessibility and other tools for ensuring everyone can access your work.
Interview with cloudyhymns by Shadow by cloudyhymns, daughterofshadows
Shadow spoke with cloudyhymns about his upcoming presentation for Mereth Aderthad 2025, "The Design of Dragons and the Doom of the Dwarves," where he shares his theory about how Dwarves and dragons are connected in the legendarium, a topic full of implications for fanworks.
Featured Themed Collection
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features fiction, artwork, and essays that transcend the idea of Orcs as the enemy, instead considering their humanity.
Alliterative Verse for Arda by Rhunedhel
Part of our Themed Collection series for our newsletter, this collection features alliterative poems about Middle-earth.
Beyond the Silmarillion
[Multimedia] Rosemary for Remembrance by Himring
Three years after Arathorn's death, Gilraen receives a letter.
It contains a short poem and a sprig of rosemary.
[Writing] Paradox of the Fourth Age by Alassante
One wrong decision can make a world of difference. When one of the Fellowship makes the mistake, the consequences are so severe that only the Valar can repair it. But will they?
Glorfindel daughter's life is in Elrohir's hands and only she remembers th eir love for each other. The fate of…
[Writing] By Mirrormere by bunn
A new Age dawns, and Moria is retaken at last.
Around the World and Web
Tolkien Reverse Summer Bang (TRSB) Sign-Ups Open!
The Tolkien Reserve Summer Bang is a collaborative fan event celebrating the works and adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien. Writers and artists will team up to bring new stories to life—from the Shire to the far reaches of Valinor (and everything in between).
April Challenge at tolkienshortfanworks
The tolkienshortfanworks challenge for April has been posted to the Dreamwidth community. The thematic prompt is: wood. The formal challenge is: linnod (Gilraen's canonical verse form). These can be filled separately and freely combined with other challenges and prompts that allow this.
Tolkien Ekphrasis Week 2025
This is a Tolkien-fandom-wide event dedicated to the art of ekphrasis in Tolkien's worlds. Its goal is to illuminate the artistic surroundings of the places, people, and stories we love, in as many media as possible.
Teitho March/April Challenge: Mothers
The Teitho Contest theme for the months of March and April is mothers.
Fanworks Tagged with Amras & Amrod & Caranthir & Celegorm & Curufin & Fëanor & Maedhros & Maglor
Let Him Find Honey by StarSpray
Grief awaits you outside these halls, Fëanáro, Nienna told him, her voice like the gentlest fall of rain upon spring leaves.
Grief haunts me inside them, Fëanor replied.
High in the Clean Blue Air by StarSpray
They passed out of Lhûn and the wider coastline of Middle-earth opened up before his eyes. He had wandered those shores for centuries, and even now he felt the pull of that same wanderlust, and knew he would miss them for the rest of his life. Their wildness, the untamed waves, the rocky shores and the cliffs and the sandy beaches. The gulls, and the dunes, and the tide pools with their ever-changing denizens. Someone began to sing a song of farewell, and other voices took it up. He did not join them.
Maglor keeps a promise, and comes to Valinor, only to find the ghosts he thought he'd left behind are alive and waiting for him.
Becoming (Maedhros & Maglor Week 2025) by 0ur_Ouroboros
Drabbles created (and now polished) from February 15, 2025 Maedhros & Maglor week-themed Instadrabbling session)
Merry Midwinter by Aprilertuile
Snippets of life of a midwinter in Fëanáro and Nerdanel's household in Valinor, during the Age of the Trees.
Prompts will be as follow, taken from the Midwinter Bingo card (board by AdmirableMonster) :
Family ; Carols and Singing ; Death and rebirth ; Candles ; Sledding
Promps taken from the Fluffy Bingo Card (board by DaughterofShadows):
Falling Asleep ; Hot Chocolate
Like a White Fire Within by fingonsradharp
Findekáno’s coronation should have been a grand affair. Moringotto was dead, and the Ñoldor could begin to rebuild and slowly retake the lands the Enemy had destroyed in the battle that they had all thought was the beginning of the end.
But Findekáno’s father had fallen even as he slew the Black Foe. Over four hundred years he had ruled, and Findekáno knew this was quite possibly the worst time for a change in leadership.
He still didn’t know where Turukáno and Írissem were.
He still had not heard from Russandol.
Rematch by I_did_not_mean_to
A short crime-story that is a direct continuation of a Drabble written for B2MEM (Match).
Detective Aredhel and her second-in-command Haleth find the burned corpse of a boy. They now have to investigate men they had thought firmly and safely relegated to the past.
Can they be guilty of a crime so heinous? Why won't anybody in that dark, foreboding house cooperate when the women clearly toil to save their reputations and lives?
To Justify Your Existence by JazTheBard
In which Maedhros dies and has some explaining to do to his family.
A Distant Peace by Astrance
Someday you’ll go far. And I really hope you stay there. Finarfin’s words to Fëanor haunted him throughout his life, from the idyllic land of Valinor to the shores of Middle-Earth.
